"I get to speak some of the greatest lines ever written. It demands of you to be 100 per cent in the moment," he said.

Law arrived at the post-show party at the National Gallery café after the rest of the cast and apologised to co-star Penelope Wilton, his stage mother, for the delay. "My darling, I've kept you waiting," he said.

Wilton said Grandage had got a "wonderful company" together before departing to celebrate her birthday with friends.

The director said he believed Hamlet to be the best play written. "It was a revelation," he added.